Town of Cumberland, RI
Since 2022, DRG has supported urban forestry in Cumberland, RI, planting street trees and conducting a public tree inventory. Grants aided projects in Valley Falls and Lonsdale, while collaborations with Clark University and a subcontracted landscape architect ensured strategic planning.
Creating A Successful Tree Planting Strategy
Davey Resource Group, Inc. (DRG) has been providing urban forestry support to the Planning and Community Development Department of the Town of Cumberland, RI, since 2022. The primary project involved planning and planting street trees at 26 locations in the Valley Falls and Lonsdale neighborhoods, and planting 200 trees on public and private properties throughout the town. The projects were supported by two grants: the Municipal Resiliency (MRP) grant program for Valley Falls and Lonsdale for street tree planting, and the U.S. Forest Service for Landscape Restoration for tree placement within the Blackstone River Watershed.
DRG provided a certified arborist, subcontracted a landscape architect for the strategic placement and planting plans, and collaborated with students from Clark University’s GIS program. The project was conducted in two phases, and both DRG and the landscape architect presented the project activities at municipal hearings to inform the public about the project. Since 2023 (through 2024), DRG’s certified arborist has served as the town’s temporary interim tree warden and has been training the town’s Department of Public Works staff in tree planting methods.
Taking Tree Management To The Next Level
DRG arborists subsequently conducted a public tree inventory for Cumberland during the summer of 2023. The arborists entered data about each tree’s health, location, and maintenance needs along public streets and in some public parks and school grounds. These data were combined into a single GIS-based data set, which is being used to prioritize tree planting and tree maintenance, plan future projects, and budget for tree care in the town.
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